The Duck Who Never Dawned
by Lupineleigh
Summary: Darkwing sees what the world would be like if he had never existed. Contains brief violence, death, and paranormal scenes.
1. Chapter 1

_A.N. UPDATE: Finally! I've figured out how to use the new upload and editing features on this site. It's still a pain in the pinfeathers to format fics on here but at least now I don't have to use my pc to upload chapters. Yes, I have made quite a few changes to this story, and I apologize for taking so long to get back to it. Adding more characters, more details, and more to the plot made my head spin and it was hard getting motivated enough to put all of that work into it. But it is now long enough to merit individual chapter uploads instead of having everything lumped together in one upload. _

_This story was partly inspired by the Darkwing episode "Dead Duck," and largely inspired by the movie "It's A Wonderful Life," Don Rosa's comic "The Duck Who Never Was," and various versions of "A Christmas Carol." As such, this story gets very dark. There is violence and death in chapters 3 and 8 so you might want to have a tissue at hand. But keep in mind that this is modeled to show Darkwing how meaningful his life really is and renew his sense of purpose. The conclusion is warm and fuzzy and builds on my existing Darkwing stories, "The Best Present Ever," "Out of Touch," and "Neighborly Secrets."_

**Chapter 1: Gloomy Forecast **

Darkwing Duck sighed heavily as he peered through his night vision goggles. Nothing. Not a trace of crime anywhere. Not even a litter bug... A sudden gust of wind blew a smattering of snowflakes onto the lenses. Darkwing impatiently wiped them off with his sleeve.

It was the day after Christmas. The presents had been opened; the stockings unhung; cookies and chocolates and various treats littered the counters while leftovers stacked up in the refrigerator. Gosalyn was glued to her new video games. Launchpad was humming to a new MP3 player. All in all, it was a pleasant wintery evening. Or so it should have been.

A few gifts had to go back to the store because Gosalyn's shoe size had changed, seemingly overnight. Also Launchpad's new compass/clock/weather station refused to operate correctly, even with a change of batteries. Launchpad's shaking of the present before opening it (and dropping it) might have had something to do with its condition. Nonetheless, Drake had gotten a warranty on it and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. He would make his returns after the new year shopping frenzy. In the meantime, he would be on the look-out for trouble. One never knew when and where greed would strike and the shopping season was prime time for muggers and scam artists. Right...?

Hint to muggers and thieves: get out there and do something! Darkwing really needed an opportunity to further his good image. How was he supposed to promote positive press coverage if all the bad guys were taking a vacation?!

Darkwing finished cleaning off his goggles and peered out into the frosty night again. The wind rippled his cape and threatened to make off with his hat, but no mere vale was going to get the best of Darkwing Duck! As for the reason why he was freezing his beak off instead of sitting at home watching reruns with his family, well...that was a long story.

Every hero has their off-days and Darkwing did enjoy a vacation every now and then. However, this December had been one of the quietest ones he could remember! For the average St. Canardian it was a blessing, but for a super sleuth, it was a nightmare! There hadn't been any weird robberies or break-ins in any of the stores or banks. The few purse snatchers he had heard of had already been caught by the police. And to make matters worse, his arch rival, Gizmoduck, had been in town this past week!

The only action Darkwing had seen was during Gizmoduck's special guest appearance, which was at the Tree Lighting Ceremony for the Tiny Dancers Toy drive. Normally Darkwing would have avoided the publicity stunt like the plague, but he had found some clues that Megavolt was on a light bulb crusade again. He had deduced that Megavolt would not be able to resist "liberating" the lights on the City Christmas Tree.

Darkwing got there early but found it impossible to distinguish anyone in the crowd from ground level. Everyone looked the same in their bulky overcoats and hats. So he grappled up to a roof top and watched the festivities from there. He soon grew bored and frustrated while scanning the milling throng of merry makers. Adding icing to the sour cake, after Gizmoduck appeared on stage, he was invited to make a speech. Naturally Darkwing had to critique everything the hero said and did.

After his speech, Gizmo's adoring fans milled around for autographs. Darkwing turned away in disgust... Aha! Someone was hurrying away from the scene with a bag over his shoulder. Just what the canny canard needed to upstage—uh...'assist' Gizmoduck in keeping the public safe.

Darkwing made his gallant entrance, confronted the thief, and claimed the bag. By now, he had attracted a sizable crowd and he gladly made his own speech on peace, goodwill, and safety and all that.

The thief tried to protest but Darkwing took care of his gibbering with a small dose of laughing gas. This turned the outraged protests to bouts of giggles.

"You –snicker– think I'm a thief?" the victim exclaimed. "Hahahoho Ho! That's a jolly good one! Hee hee. See for yourself!" He pointed to the dropped bag. Darkwing snapped that he would and opened the bag, grandly announcing that he had rescued... Clothes?! He did a double take. A red fur-trimmed coat? A Santa hat? Yu-oh...

To add to the embarrassment, the event's manager pushed her way through the crowd and demanded to know what the holdup was! Why wasn't her actor in place for the tree lighting?! Darkwing tugged on his collar and backed away from the furious feline, only to bump against something cold... Oh no... Not him...!

"What seems to be the trouble here?" Gizmoduck asked with his usual obnoxious optimism.

The manager pointed accusingly at Darkwing. "That nitwit just tried to arrest Santa Claus!"

"You...what?" Gizmo gaped, caught between shock and amusement. He barely managed to suppress a giggle. "Wh-why?"

"Well...because he looked suspicious. I mean, how else is a hero supposed to react when he sees someone running away with a bag like that over his shoulder?" Darkwing replied. Putting his hands on his hips to give the troublesome Santa a glare, he added. "Besides, he was out of costume!"

The disgruntled manager spoke up. "He was already five minutes behind schedule and now..." she glanced at her watch. "He is running ten minutes behind, and if we don't get him in front of the children in the next three minutes, they are going to start getting whiny. And once the kids get upset, the parents get upset. Mad parents make for bad business." The manager shoved the bag into the employee's hands. "Now get changed and get on stage before someone sees the costume here! As for you—!" she whirled on Darkwing.

He raised his hands placatingly and backed away. "Uh...heh heh. I'd love to stay and chat, but, whoops! Look at the time! Oh well, better go, catch ya later—!" He started to walk away but was stopped short when the manager grabbed his cape. "Guk!" "Oh no you don't! You owe me $5.99!"

"For what?!" Darkwing protested as he tried to extract his cape.

"For costing me five minutes that some kid could be paying to sit on Santa's knee, plus wrinkling his suit!"

"But I..." Darkwing started but Gizmoduck interrupted.

"Say, I've got a great idea!" he rolled in-between Darkwing and the irate cat. "I've got some books on hand to sell, and you need a celebrity, so why don't I visit with the kiddies. And sign some autographs while I'm at it."

The feline grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the store. "You're hired!"

"Pfft! So much for getting in the spirit of Christmas..." Darkwing grumbled as he watched them walk away. He grapple hooked back to his perch to wait. After all, Megavolt was bound to strike soon, and then Darkwing Duck would have the last laugh...

It was a long wait. The rest of the festivities went on uninterrupted, including Gizmoduck's book signing and photo posing. There was music and tree lighting and cheering and singing and sipping hot cocoa...

Darkwing was a bit envious of the cocoa drinkers. He had gotten his mittens, boots, and snowsuit out of the Ratcatcher, but he was still freezing. He was practically a snow duck when the crowd dispersed and the people in charge of the festival left their posts. He was about to go home when he noticed a familiar figure making his way to the Christmas tree. Darkwing shook off the snow to get a better look. Ah ha! Megavolt, just as he'd expected. Perfect timing, too.

Darkwing grinned and prepared for a dramatic entrance. However, before he could say "I am the terror," a cop questioned the villain. Megavolt shrugged, answered casually, and zapped the cop. Darkwing threw down his trademark blue smoke and got as far as "flaps" before he, too, got zapped. Megavolt laughed and made a remark about having a "merry Christmas." Darkwing shook off the pain and fired his gas gun. Big mistake...

In the spirit of the season, Darkwing had only brought laughing gas instead of the usual varieties of sleep gas, tear gas, itching powder, plaster of Paris, and weed killer. Megavolt doubled over in laughter while still trying to shoot Darkwing. Unable to see where he was aiming, the villain fired at everything, hitting the power box the tree lights were plugged into.

The surge of electricity traveled up the cord, shorting out every bulb and frying the star on top of the tree. The star fell, conking the barely conscious cop on the head, knocking him into the tree's trunk. The tree swayed over the still-laughing Megavolt and Darkwing.

Darkwing saw it topple and cartwheeled out of the way. Megavolt escaped injury but he was tangled in the branches and light string. Gizmoduck flew onto the scene and while he was asking what had happened, the dizzy cop finally recovered his wits enough to talk. He saw Megavolt incapacitated and praised Gizmoduck for catching the criminal. Darkwing protested that HE had caught Megavolt, not Gizmoduck.

Unfortunately, while he was ranting and gesturing, he lost his grip on his gas gun. It went flying into the holiday display, taking out an angel, a nutcracker, a drum, a Teddy bear, and Santa's sleigh. Whoops...

While the cop yelled and Gizmo tried to take care of the mess, Darkwing ducked out of sight. He made it back to his bike, only to find it being loaded onto a tow truck for illegal parking. He blew a gasket and was fined for disturbing the peace in addition to being given a towing fee and a parking ticket.

Gizmoduck again found him and offered to give him a ride back to the tower, but Darkwing had no patience for the armored mallard. He waved him off and kept walking. He arrived at the tower twenty minutes later, half frozen, exhausted, and in a foul mood. He sighed and flopped down in a chair. After a bit of irate mumbling, he turned on the TV out of habit and found himself plastered on the evening news as the event's comic relief. Thoroughly irritated and humiliated, he didn't even bother saying goodbye when Gizmoduck came to the tower to make sure he had gotten back safely prior to leaving for Duckburg. Gizmoduck wished him a merry Christmas before leaving, further ruffling the masked mallard's feathers.

The next day, Darkwing went to get his bike back from the impound lot and was nearly arrested for his resemblance to Negaduck. He had to remind the badged bozos that Negaduck was in the super villain prison. They actually had to call for affirmation that Negaduck was indeed incarcerated before letting Darkwing have the Ratcatcher back. He still had to pay the towing fee... Merry Christmas, indeed! Humph!

Since those embarrassing episodes three weeks ago, Darkwing had had very little to do on the job. He had resigned himself to enjoying the season and had gone Christmas shopping, which proved only somewhat harrowing this bothered him was when he stopped for a hot cocoa break and overheard some fellow patrons chatting about him. They were laughing at how "Darkworm Dork" had made a fool of himself at the tree lighting by arresting Santa Claus and ruining all the decorations after dark. Drake had been in half a mind to defend his alter ego, but then he'd spotted an old lady trying to cross the street. In front of an oncoming car!

Drake had bravely risked life and limb to race over and push her out of danger, just barely missing getting run over himself. Instead of being grateful for saving her life, the old woman had yelled at him for knocking her glasses off. He had retorted that it was better losing the glasses than her life and got smacked in the face with her purse.

When Drake peeled himself off the slushy sidewalk, he saw one of the coffee shop patrons staring at him. When he asked why, the guy pointed to someone who was trying to make off with Drake's shopping bags.

Of course, Darkwing Duck had to remind that So-and-so that it was supposed to be the season of peace and goodwill! Then the young man had given him some sob story about starving kids and a pregnant wife back home. Darkwing wasn't inclined to believe him but some of the bystanders started accusing Darkwing of accosting a poor man in need. Darkwing tried to defend his actions and the guy slipped away, with half of the bags. Were those 'upstanding' citizens pleased? NO! Of course not! They had to walk away grumbling about him. Sheesh! Nice show of gratitude, people! And they still didn't get his name right even when they mocked him! Oh how the mighty mallard had fallen...

It wouldn't be half bad if those had been the only belittling things to occur in the past year, but unfortunately, Darkwing's own little world had been through some rough water.

Granted, between his choice of career and his rogue gallery, he was bound to run into some hard times. He was lucky he'd made it this far... But slamming headfirst into a brick wall and dreaming that he was dead had made things a little awkward for a while.

He had gone back to crime fighting with a nagging doubt, wondering why he fought so hard to protect citizens who didn't care about him. They didn't even LIKE him! Neither did the police, nor the mayor, nor anyone else except a small handful of devoted fans.

That dream came back to him a few times. At least, he was pretty sure it was a dream. Imagine: him, cheating death with a finger trick! That was a laugh...sort of. But those, uh, 'guys' for lack of a better word, whom he'd met in that dream... Saint Peter and the red guy with the horns and tail had argued over his ultimate fate! And Peter had actually had to look up his name to figure out where he belonged! It should be obvious! He's a hero, for crying out loud! ... Isn't he?

Darkwing shivered. Not even he was certain anymore... Sure, he was dashing, daring, cunning, and successful, but if he was doing his job right, shouldn't he have a few more...well, fans? It seemed most people either hated him or got annoyed with him. Even his enemies rarely took him seriously.

What was the point of donning a mask and cape if it didn't intimidate anyone? The only people he did end up intimidating were usually victims of his own mistakes... He'd made a huge one this past year with Gosalyn. He had simply been trying to protect her, but by pushing her away, he had put her directly into Taurus Bulba's path. That case still came back to haunt him every now and then.

His worst enemy had been turned into a mutant cyborg with enough weapons to level the city, plus Bulba had been given impenetrable armor. Even if Darkwing hadn't been stuck in a wheelchair, he would have had difficulty facing off the monster. And Bulba had not only recognized Gosalyn, he had taken both her and Honker hostage. If he ever returned...no, not 'if'... 'When' he returned... Darkwing shuddered to think of the outcome of that battle...

Darkwing had done the right thing by trying to keep Gosalyn out of harm's way, but lying to her had been disastrous. Darkwing had pondered this many times. He could let Gosalyn accompany him on his crime fighting expeditions, but then her life would be in constant danger. His enemies were dangerous enough on the street, but if one of them was clever enough to figure out Gosalyn's relationship with him and look her up...

He shivered again. He didn't allow himself to think about what could happen very often but when he did, he found himself wondering... Had he done the right thing by adopting Gosalyn and taking away any chance she had for a "normal" life? Her life had been jeopardized since the day he met her, and it seemed life was only getting more complicated.

He'd done his best, but he was coming to the conclusion that he couldn't protect Gosalyn from everything and the prospect of losing her in any way, shape, or form terrified him. She could be horribly wounded and lose her mobility. She could lose her memory and become a completely different person. (She actually had become a completely different person when Tuskernini's assistants had sprayed her dress at the student costume ball.) Gosalyn could be taken captive by any number of his foes and get hurt and he wouldn't be able to stop them!

There were times when he thought she would have been better off if he had never adopted her... But without her, HE was nothing! He had to have her near to feel like he was...Someone. Without her, he was just a random duck in a cape and mask. He wouldn't even have a fan club without Gosalyn's efforts.

Was it fair to want to care for a child when he could not guarantee that he would be home every night to tuck her in bed? Was it selfish for him to hold onto her when he couldn't even stop her from putting herself in danger? His self doubts haunted him in his dreams some nights and last night he'd had another such dream.

This had been worse than usual: in it, Gosalyn had a real family, with a mom and dad and a little brother to play with. Gosalyn had been beaming with joy as she clutched her mother's hand. While still holding hands, Gosalyn had kicked a soccer ball toward her brother. Her brother blocked it and cheered. The dream mother congratulated both kids as the dream father hoisted Gosalyn into the air. All of them were cheering for her. When the father set Gosalyn back on her feet, Drake ran up to her and asked, "What about us? We're a family." And she had answered, "Well, kinda." Without even saying goodbye, she ran off to play, leaving Drake with empty arms and a broken heart.

Darkwing shook his head, tossing a small layer of snow off of his beak. "BRRRR! Cut that out!" he scolded himself. "It was just a dream! Nothing more!"

But his subconscious whispered back, "Doesn't Gosalyn deserve what's best for her?"

"But of course she does!" Darkwing snapped at himself. "I AM what's best for her! I'M her father!"

"You're not her real father. She doesn't even respect you enough to listen to you. If you can't control your own kid, how do you expect to control the city's crime?" That irritating thread of self-doubt spoke again.

Darkwing squeezed the goggles furiously, almost popping the lenses out, before deflating. "I guess...I really am useless. If I can't protect my own daughter, what good do I do for the city...? —Sigh— This city doesn't even want me for its hero... They probably wouldn't even care if I died tomorrow..."

He frowned thoughtfully as he recalled that odd, coma-induced dream he'd had. Was it just a dream, like he kept telling himself it was? Had he been hallucinating when he went to open the oven door and that...thing popped out at him? He shook away the memory but the dream remained. Nobody had cared that he had died with the exceptions of Gosalyn, Launchpad, and Morgana. He knew that Director Hooter might be upset if he died, and possibly Gizmoduck. Stegmutt definitely would be. And Honker, of course. Binkie and Herb would be upset over the loss of their neighbor, but they would get over it quickly. Would anyone else care? For that matter, would anyone have cared if he hadn't gotten involved in their lives? He'd made so little impact on anybody. It seemed all he did was goof up...

He sighed wearily and clutched his beak. "Maybe all of them would have been better off not knowing me. Maybe..."

He paused as he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the window. With his face turned away from the light and shadows cast by his hat brim, his mask almost looked black. He was reminded of the time the police mistook him for Negaduck and sighed again. Without him, Negaduck might not have come into existence and the whole city—no, the whole world, and all its alternate dimensions, would be better.

"Maybe they'd all be better off without me..."

He sighed and stepped inside, dragging his goggles in the snow behind him. He started to head home, but he really wasn't in the mood to socialize with his family right now. If they even noticed him...

Sigh... Tossing his hat on the hook, he shed his snow-dampened jacket and cape and crawled under the covers of his little-used bed in the loft. Before long, he fell into a troubled sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Visitor

"Drake..." a voice whispered.

"What?" he mumbled through his pillow.

"Drrrake..."

"What!?" Drake snapped.

"Come..." the disconnected whisper came again.

"Uh, excuse me," the duck replied sarcastically. "But I'm kind of in the middle of sleeping, so if you don't mind: BEAT IT, Buster!" The only answer he got was silence. Drake sighed. "Great. Now I'm arguing with an empty room. I've gotta get some shuteye before I go stir-crazy."

As soon as his head hit the pillow the voice started again. "Drake..." It sounded like it was right next to him now. Drake blearily peeked through an eyelid and shot up out of the covers, scrambling to the other side of his bed. There was a man in his room! A duck with a flowing silver beard and robe.

"ACK! How'd you get in here? What do you want? I'm warning you, you chose the wrong duck to mess with!" Drake hopped on top of his bed and got into a defensive pose.

"Please, Mr. Mallard. There is no need to be upset." The duck calmly held up a hand. "All of your questions will be answered in time."

"Look, Bub!" Drake warned impatiently, raising his hands defensively. "I don't know who you're working for or how you got up here, but one thing's for certain: you're about to do some star-gazing! Heee-yah!" He launched a webkick straight for the duck's torso.

The duck sighed and rolled his eyes. Just mere inches from impact, the duck suddenly floated up in the air. Drake went flying underneath him.

"Huh? Yu-oh..." Drake gulped as he realized he'd shot right over the edge of the rafter. "YAAAHHH!"

He plummeted several stories before his fall was cut short. He looked up and saw his 'visitor' holding him by the leg. The strange duck had an ethereal glow about him. Drake gulped. He was starting to think it would have been better smashing his head into the floor.

The floating, glowing duck lowered him the rest of the way and let go just a foot above the floor. Drake fell on his chin with a WHUMP.

"I was warned to expect a drastic reaction..." the duck said humorlessly.

Drake sat up and glared at the stranger. "Who are you working for? What does he want with me?"

"Oh, nothing along the lines of what you're thinking. You have been given a gift, Sir," the duck said graciously, offering Drake a hand up. Drake pulled away from him and stood on his own. The stranger settled on his own feet and explained. "You may call me Jacob, and... Well, you might call my visit a vision of some sorts. When you've seen all that you're meant to see, you will only remember bits and pieces, but this is every bit as real as crime fighting."

Drake shook his head and held up his hands. "Wait! Back up the train a bit. What do you mean by seeing all I'm 'meant to see'? All I see is some wrinkly old geezer in a dress!"

"A 'dress'!" Jacob stammered incredulously. "This was the height of fashion back in the first century! If you don't like it, I'll change to something more...modern." With that, he snapped his fingers and his beard and robe were replaced by a suave dark blue suit and tie, complete with polished shoes and sunglasses. Drake did a double take at the outfit - he had a suit just like that. (From the episode "Easy Comes, Easy Grows.") Jacob arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of him. "Well?" he asked in a younger voice. "What do you think now? Do I meet your approval?"

"Wh...? No! I mean, yes, but how'd you...? What kind of apparition are you, anyway?" Drake stammered.

"Hehe. One who can do more than a few parlor tricks." Jacob smirked and opened his hands like a book. The tower walls parted like a curtain and disappeared.

Drake found himself on top of Canard Tower, peering down at the streets far below. He scrambled back with an alarmed squeak, automatically latching onto the closest thing to him: Jacob.

Jacob smiled kindly and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. "Don't be afraid, Drake."

Drake scoffed and pushed himself upright. "Pah! Me? Afraid? You're talking to a single parent with a heck of a night job, Mister!"

The man rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Darkwing..."

Drake was still rattling on. "I've got nerves of steel. A mind like iron. Reflexes like..." He jumped back and pointed an accusing finger. "Hey! How did you know my name?"

Jacob gestured to his own face.

Drake reached up and felt his mask. "Oh," was his automatic response. Then a thought occurred to him. He was still in costume, but this guy had been calling him 'Drake'... Oh no! His identity had been compromised! "Hey! How do you know me?! Who's your informant?! What do you want?!"

Jacob sighed again and shook his head. "It's alright. Your identity is safe. I've known you since before you hatched. I'm your guardian."

"My—," Darkwing sputtered in amazement. "My...my guardian?" He pondered this for a second as he leerily peeked over the edge of the building again. A cold wind kicked up, blowing a flurry of snow in his face. He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered.

Jacob smiled gently and wrapped a blanket around Darkwing's shoulders, his own body heat melting the snow on Darkwing's beak. Darkwing considered this for a moment, then he recalled the other things Jacob had done prior to bringing him here and started to piece things together. "Are...?" he gulped. "Are you telling me you're...an angel...?"

"I suppose you could say that," the duck shrugged. He sprouted a pair of broad, feathered wings from his back and slowly morphed into a leopard. "It's not an entirely accurate term, as there are cherubim, seraphim, archangels..."

"Okay, enough already!" Darkwing waved his hand at the...'thing' hovering in front of him. Jacob turned back into the much less bewildering form of a duck in a suit. Or was he a goose now? His neck seemed a bit longer and his bill a bit rounder. Never mind! Darkwing ran a hand down his face. "Just... Just tell me what you're here for and get on with it."

"As you wish, Mr. Mallard." Jacob smiled mysteriously and waved his hand again.

The floor suddenly dropped out from under him, sending Darkwing plummeting toward the street below. Darkwing pulled himself together and started looking for anything he might grab onto to stop his fall. Jacob materialized next to him, clasping his arm and settling him on something like a wispy cloud. "Oh, I'm sorry about that," the avian apologized with a slight smirk. "I promise I won't do that again."

"Gee..." Darkwing gasped sarcastically. "How thoughtful..." Shaking his head, Darkwing knelt and touched the cloud. He could see through it, yet somehow the foggy vapors were enough to support him. He experimentally tried jumping on it and squeaked as his feet passed through it.

Jacob stepped onto the cloud and pulled Darkwing back onto his feet. "I suggest you refrain from further jumping."

"Agreed..." Darkwing gulped. Self-consciously straightening his shirt, Darkwing noticed he had somehow acquired the rest of his costume, including his various gadgets. Feeling emboldened by the presence of his gas gun, Darkwing straightened and faced his 'guardian' irately. "Look, Pal. I don't know what you're up to, but..." He broke off as he noticed the cloud had dissipated, leaving him standing on the sidewalk in front of a familiar building. One he hadn't seen since... "Wait a minute... This is the old Royal Records store! Home of the biggest record player in the world!" He clasped his hands fondly. "Heh, and to think, this is where I stopped my first crime."

He was distracted as he saw the Hessley brothers, 'the King' and Lamont, bag a gold record. He blinked in confusion before spouting off again. "Hey! What's going on here? Where am I?"

"At Royal Records..." Jacob smirked as he rolled the word 'Royal' on his tongue. At least he still looked like Jacob, only now he was wearing a wavy black wig with side burns and a high-collared white sequined jacket and pants.

Darkwing scowled before replying. "Thanks for restating the obvious. I wasn't asking 'where am I?' I meant, where are the others? Drakey, Gosalyn, and me! We should be arriving at the scene at any moment now..."

"Just watch..." Jacob replied, holding a finger to his lips. Only now he looked more like a golden-furred fox than an avian.

"No!" Darkwing protested after craning around to look for his past selves. "I'm not going to sit by and idly watch a robbery in progress! I saw what that bald bozo can do! If Hessley isn't stopped now, he could run all of St. Canard!"

"I know..." the fox looked a little dewy-eyed.

Darkwing ignored his companion's expression and raised his voice and his arms. "Ohh, that's right. You know 'everything' about me! Well you ought to know by now that saying 'no' to Darkwing Duck is just as effective as saying 'Whoa' to a bucking bronco!"

With that, Darkwing stormed determinedly up to the store. He reached for the door handle...and passed right through it? "What the...?" He paused and patted himself down before looking accusingly back at his guide. "Don't tell me I'm a ghost again!"

"'Again'?" the fox raised an eyebrow.

"That wasn't you?" he asked warily. "Then what the heck happened to me when I had that concussion from flying into a brick wall?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm only given information pertinent to my job. Whatever happened in the past was on someone else's shift." Jacob frowned apologetically.

"Wait just a durn second! I thought you said you've been my guardian since I hatched!" Darkwing jabbed an accusing finger into the fox's chest. "What were you doing when I nearly died that time?! Playing the harp?!"

"I..." Jacob looked distinctly uncomfortable. He stepped back and shrank into a short wizened turtle. He drew his head into his shell. "You wouldn't understand..."

"Don't give me that! I—what the!" Darkwing broke off as Jacob sprouted a pair of wings and flapped away, still withdrawn in his shell. "Hey! Get back here! I'm not done yelling at you yet!" The turtle made no attempt to slow his ascent. "Great. Just perfect! Now what am I supposed to do?" Darkwing muttered as he turned his attention back to the events unfolding at Royal Records.

The Hessley gang was still busily filling their sacks with stolen goods. Darkwing tried firing his gas gun at them, but the canister passed right through the king's hair without mussing a single strand.

Darkwing sighed. "Guess gas guns haven't been invented yet... So what am I supposed to learn here exactly?"

He leaned against the door frame and fell through it. Shaking his head, he sat up and looked around. The scene had changed. At least, he thought it had. Looking again, he saw that it was still Royal Records but the coloring was off. Everything was black instead of white and the records hanging on the walls were different. Darkwing walked over to investigate and saw the Hessley brothers pictured on an album cover, only they looked older than they had previously.

Darkwing shrugged. "So what? They've made a few albums. Big deal." He turned around and his jaw dropped.

Outside the record store was a big statue of the elder Hessley wearing a crown. As he gawked, the gang pulled up in a limo and unrolled a red carpet out for the king to step onto. The gang walked up to a clerk Darkwing hadn't noticed until now and antagonized him about record sales. The poor fox protested that nobody could afford to pay $50 each for the king's records. Darkwing rolled up his sleeves and minced toward the gang, taking several swings at them. His fists passed through the thugs' heads. He grunted and stalked off in frustration.

"What's the point...? The Hessleys haven't caused any trouble since I busted them way back in... Hoo, boy..." his voice dropped in pitch. "Since I...I mean, Drakey used my gas gun to shoot bubble gum so that I could save the day... O-kayyy. I get it now. This is like that Dickens story with the ghosts of Christmas past and present and future." He put his hands on his hips and looked around. "So where's Tiny Tim? And who's Ebenezer? I certainly have nothing in common with that old humbug... Hey wait a minute! Christmas is over! What's this about?!"

Unfortunately, Darkwing was about to get an answer. Something exploded not too far away. Darkwing and the Hessley gang all rushed outside and saw smoke rising from a street several blocks away.

Darkwing jogged to the source of the noise and smoke and gasped. A familiar airship was rising in the sky. Darkwing could hardly believe it! Taurus Bulba had just broken out of prison! Again! But where was...? Oh no! Gosalyn!

Darkwing started to run to the orphanage when another explosion rocked the street. He followed the smoke back to Royal Records and saw that the Hessley's car had been destroyed, taking with it the record store itself and all the occupants. And walking away from it, laughing, were three familiar figures.

"That showed him who's boss, huh?" a short, curly horned ram asked a horse and a goat.

"Yeah," the goat replied. "That's the last time that joik will cross Mr. Bulba. Now we'd better get going or the Boss with have our heads!"

Darkwing gulped and reluctantly followed Hammerhead, Hoof, and Mouth up to the roof of Canard Tower.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter_ 3: Rise of the Bull _

_((A.N. Warning: Character death ahead))_

The ramp to Bulba's airship was lowered and Darkwing boarded with Bulba's lackeys. He watched the treacherous trio roll the Waddlemeyer ramrod into position on top of the tower. Now what? He was the one who had activated it. If he wasn't the one who figured out the code, who...?

"I am weary of playing these games, little girl," a deep accented voice growled over the sound of weak grunts.

Darkwing squeaked in alarm and clasped his bill to keep from screaming. Gosalyn was in Bulba's grasp again, tied up and squirming, but she wasn't squirming in rebellion. She was in pain! Her eyes were puffy with tears and bruises. Her cheeks had hand prints on them from being struck, and there were small cuts all over her arms and legs. Her hair had come loose from her pig tails and covered part of her face.

Darkwing had seen enough. He rushed over to the hulking tyrant, begging him to free her, offering him the code, screaming to Gosalyn to give it to him, and frantically clawing at Gosalyn's bindings. He did everything he could think of to save her. But it was impossible. He didn't exist in the same plane as the people living in this horrid alternate world... This was just an alternate, right?

"Your grandfather would not have given the army a useless weapon!" Bulba dangled Gosalyn over the ramrod's control panel, letting her get a good look. "He gave the code to you somehow, now give it to me!"

"I don't know the code! I swear on everything! He never told me!" Gosalyn's voice was growing increasing frantic. Every trace of her old spirit seemed to have evaporated.

Darkwing scooted over to the ramrod and tried pressing the keys. "I know it! It's right here! See!" He punched the yellow button. Nothing. "Come on, come on! Work, you stupid thing!" Glancing frantically back at Bulba and Gosalyn, Darkwing yelled. "Jacob, do something! He's gonna kill her! Help me! Give me a solid finger to work with! Anything!"

"I can't..." Jacob materialized on top of the ramrod, still in turtle form. "Neither one of us exist in this reality..."

"Then make us exist! Come on! Do the little thing with your hands! Do something! You've got power of some kind! Use it!"

Jacob sadly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Drake. I wish I could. But you have made it impossible for both of us."

"What do you mean?!"

"You'll understand, soon enough..." Jacob the turtle sighed and ducked back into his shell, turning into a cloud of twinkling dust and whipping away with the wind.

"NO!" Darkwing scrambled after him, trying to grab the bits of dust. "Jacob! Get back here! HELP ME!"

Gosalyn's scream jerked him back to the present. Darkwing spun around and saw the condor, Tantalus, hovering in open air. His talons were empty.

"NOOO!" Darkwing screamed. He rushed to the edge and was just about to jump off after Gosalyn when the last thing he would have expected happened. A sudden gust of air, the sound of rotor blades, and Gosalyn's screaming stopped.

"There's no need to fear," a familiar voice exclaimed. "GIZMODUCK is here!"

"Gizmoduck! My hero!" Gosalyn cried as she hugged the hero's neck.

Darkwing instinctively fired his grappling hook onto Gizmo's tire, and surprisingly it held on instead of going through like the gas canister had earlier; he briefly smiled as the armored duck carried him and Gosalyn to a safe landing.

"Gizmoduck! What are YOU doing here?" Darkwing asked, even though Gizmo couldn't hear him.

Gosalyn had the same question. Gizmo gladly answered Gosalyn. "Well, I was enlisted by the army to retrieve the missing ramrod. I ran into some slight difficulties in tracking it down—"

"Hmph. More like didn't have the brains to figure it out!" Darkwing muttered as his initial relief faded to his usual annoyance.

Gizmo continued. "—But when I saw that airship, I knew there was trouble somewhere to be found! Lucky for you, I was in the general vicinity with my new sidekick, Launchpad McQuack!" he gestured to an approaching plane.

"SIDEKICK!?" Darkwing exclaimed incredulously. He turned and saw the familiar silhouette of his trusty pal in the pilot's seat but the plane itself looked...Odd. It was like the Thunderquack in that it was still in the shape of a duck's head, but the bill resembled Gizmoduck's, complete with a goofy grin instead of a fierce grimace. It was painted white with a red stripe on the hood. Why would Launchpad make a plane for a guy who could already fly...? For that matter, why was he working for Gizmoduck when they both worked for Scrooge McDuck?

Suddenly a laser cannon shot through the air, taking out one of the plane's wings. Darkwing heard Launchpad's voice over Gizmoduck's speaker saying "Mayday! Mayday! I'm going down!"

They all heard the horrible sound of crunching metal and breaking glass. Gizmo spoke frantically into his radio but didn't receive an answer... Gulping, he zoomed down to the street level, setting Gosalyn safely on the sidewalk.

"Stay here and keep out of sight, Little Gizmobuddy. If I'm not back here in fifteen minutes, call the police and hide!"

"Yeah right. I don't even have a quarter!" Gosalyn replied, turning her pockets inside out. Gizmo frowned and fished around for some change in his suit while Gosalyn continued. "Take me with you! I won't get in the way and I'll help you keep an eye out for the bad guys."

"Sorry, Little Gizmobuddy, but I'm afraid it's too dangerous for any ordinary citizen. Ah, here's a quarter. Thought I had one in here somewhere... Now stay near here and keep out of sight and do everything I said! I'll be back soon!" He started his propeller and took off just as Gosalyn darted back to where he had been.

She yelled up to him. "Wait! You can't leave me here alone...! And...you just did..." She watched as he flew off, unable to hear her over the noise of the propeller and the engine powering it in his helmet. Darkwing was surprised to see Gosalyn sit down on the sidewalk curb, grumbling to herself but otherwise doing what she had been told.

Darkwing was just wondering if her injuries were more than superficial when a ray of blue light shot up from the streets, slamming into Bulba's airship and sending currents dancing across its surface. The airship slowly spun out of control and crashed into the bay.

Darkwing whirled around and saw...Megavolt! The rat practically glowed with power as he zapped everything electrical within sight. That included frying the Gizmosuit when Gizmoduck flew in to confront him. The power behind the blast sent Gizmoduck flying through a wall, rendering him and his suit powerless.

Darkwing started to go check on his rival but then he noticed Megavolt pausing to look at something. Darkwing turned to see what had caught his attention.

The "Gizmoquack" had landed on its beak, standing straight up in an electronics store. The clerk peered nervously up at the plane from behind the desk. Launchpad popped the hatch and hopped down, completely unharmed. Darkwing smiled and shook his head, not the least bit surprised. If anyone could walk away from a crash, it was Launchpad.

Launchpad grinned sheepishly when he saw the bewildered clerk. "Whoops. Sorry about that, Ma'am. I, uh, have good insurance?"

"Forget insurance! I'm outta here!" the woman whimpered, snatching her purse and scrambling out the shattered door.

Darkwing squinted at her, recognizing her voice. She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place her. She nearly ran smack into Megavolt. He started to apologize but she was too upset to return the curtesy. "Get out of my way!"

Darkwing was starting to remember where he'd seen this woman before, but unfortunately Megavolt recognized her first. He straightened and pointed at her incredulously. "You! You...!"

He zapped the sidewalk in front of her several times.

She squealed, backing up against the building's side.

"How did you escape?!" Megavolt demanded angrily.

"E...escape what?" the clerk replied. "The plane didn't hit me..."

"It's coming back to me..." Megavolt rubbed his head. His whiskers sparked. "Ah, yes! The electricity! You! You and that... Hamm, whatever his name was, did THIS to me!" He shot another bolt of electricity from his fingers, nearly hitting the woman's legs.

"NO!" she yelped, dodging. "I don't know you! Please!"

"Hey! Watch it!" Launchpad yelled as he hurried out of the ruined store to stand protectively in front of the woman. "You could hurt someone like that!"

"You're right! I can! And I will...!" Megavolt shot another bolt.

Launchpad dove behind a fire hydrant, pulling the clerk down beside him. Megavolt melted the bolts securing the fire hydrant to the sidewalk. The hydrant rolled onto its side as water shot up in the air.

Launchpad led the clerk back into the electronics store for shelter and paused to wipe his wet bangs out of his eyes. "Phew! That guy is one nut shy of a nutcase! You okay—" he paused to read her name tag. "'Preena'?"

"How can I be okay?!" Preena exclaimed, pointing around her. "My workplace is ruined, my clothes are soaked, I was nearly squashed by a plane and fried by a madman!" She shakily wiped her hair off of her face.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you, or my name isn't Launchpad McQuack!" he smiled confidently.

"'Protect' me?!" Preena started to exclaim before another bolt of electricity slammed into the wall behind them, causing them to duck behind the cashier's desk.

"So, you thought you could hide from the mighty Megavolt, huh? Well it'll take more than that to... to, uh... What was I doing again?" Megavolt rubbed his chin in confusion.

"You were going to..." Launchpad started to blurt out that Megavolt was going to zap them but he paused in time, glancing thoughtfully at Preena. "Uh...you were going to let us go peacefully." He ad-libbed.

"Yes! I was going to... Wait a second, that doesn't sound right..."

While Megavolt was trying to figure out his intentions, Launchpad turned to Preena Lot. "Now's your chance! Go out the back door! I'll hold him off!"

Preena managed a grateful smile. "Thank you." She kissed his chin before grabbing her purse and sneaking around the desk toward the back door.

"Good going, LP!" Darkwing jumped up and punched the air excitedly.

Launchpad blushed and fiddled with his cap. Straightening, he cleared his throat and stood. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Me?" Megavolt pointed to himself.

"Yeah! I'm new in town, so I'm not real familiar with what's here." Glancing back nervously, he saw Preena reaching for the handle to the back door. He tried to keep Megavolt's attention focused on him. "So, do you know where I can find some plane parts?"

"Hmm... You might get lucky at the scrap heap, but I'd check with the airport first," Megavolt answered as he looked around. He saw his target trying to escape and growled. "That's no fair! You can't get away that easily! Not after what you've done!"

Preena shrieked and covered her head.

"That's right! Cower before me! You...! You...! What's your name again?" Megavolt asked in a surprisingly polite tone as he cornered her.

"Preena... Preena Lot..." she answered shakily. "Please...let me go!"

"'Preena Lott'?" Darkwing exclaimed incredulously, "my old high school classmate?"

"Why? Why should I show you mercy when you gave me none?! You and that Hamm String bullied me and left me for dead! Which is what you should be!"

Megavolt fired again, but an airborne mop bucket caught the blast instead. Megavolt whirled around. Launchpad was still holding the mop.

"Leave her alone or I'll... I'll..." Launchpad looked around, suddenly realizing he had nothing to fight with.

"You'll what...?" Megavolt goaded with a sneer.

"Hold on, I'm thinking..." Launchpad replied, concentrating hard to come up with an idea.

"Run, Launchpad!" Darkwing yelled, sensing what was about to happen, but again he had no way of helping his friend. He flung himself at the pilot to protect him, but he flew right through his friend.

Darkwing felt his feathers stand on end as a tremendous bolt of electricity passed through him, plowing straight into Launchpad's chest. The pilot's jacket was left with a charred, smoking hole in the middle. Launchpad slowly sank to the floor. Darkwing gaped at the extent of the damage. He'd taken some pretty powerful hits from Megavolt before, but this was different. Megavolt had aimed to kill and had put more voltage into the blast than he normally would have used. Darkwing gulped as he knelt next to his friend. Launchpad was still alive, but he wouldn't be much longer.

"Hold on, Buddy! I'll get help! Just hold on!" Darkwing cried irrationally, trying to press his hand on the wound and comfort his friend, but Launchpad couldn't feel or hear him.

A crackling Scottish voice suddenly came out of Launchpad's pocket. "Launchpad! I just saw your crash on the news! Are ye all right, Lad?"

Launchpad weakly reached into his pocket, and pulled out a radio. "Sorry...Mr. McD...I guess...I'm not...—cough, cough— cut out...to be...a... side...kick..." He choked, sounding full of regret and despair.

"No, no, no! You're the best sidekick there ever was!" Darkwing tried to console him. "And best pal..."

Launchpad sighed and passed out, dropping the radio. Scrooge McDuck's worried voice faded with the static. "Launchpad! Can ye hear me? Come in, Launchpad!"

Darkwing sat there, numb with grief and shock.

Preena Lot threw open the back door and ran out without a backwards glance at the brave man who had sacrificed so much to protect her. Darkwing saw her leave and felt his heart sink a little further from the added grief. So much for gratitude.

Megavolt left the store, but Darkwing barely had enough energy to stand, let alone give chase. Feeling drained and empty inside, he leaned against the wall for support, hearing a few horrified screams outside as Megavolt's rampage took its toll on the rest of the city. He couldn't help those innocent people any more than he could help his best friend.

"Why...? Why did this happen?" he asked softly around the lump in his throat. "Why was Launchpad working for Gizmoduck? And what did he mean when he said he wasn't cut out to be a sidekick! He's MY sidekick! This doesn't make any sense!"

"Actually, it does, when you see things from his perspective..." Jacob materialized nearby. "Why did Launchpad come to St. Canard?"

"Pfft! That's easy. He came here to be a sidekick!"

"But if you didn't exist, who would he help?"

"Well... He'd still be a pilot. He could fly commercial..." Pausing for a moment, Darkwing scratched his head. "Then again, with that crash record, nobody in their right minds would hire him. He could work at a grocery store, or fast food or a cab driver or mechanic..." Darkwing frowned as he tried to imagine his best friend as anything other than a pilot and sidekick. He was running out of ideas...

He shook his head and turned back to Jacob. "I still don't understand... Why was he Gizmoduck's sidekick? What did he do?"

"Fly around Duckburg, looking for people in need of help. He airlifted victims from car wrecks and fights, took crooks to jail after Gizmoduck arrested them, listened to the police radio, and provided back up in the few instances where it was needed. Mainly that was protecting the money bin." Jacob answered as he made the surroundings fade around them.

"But Duckburg hardly has any crime to control!" Darkwing exclaimed, still struggling to comprehend. "Most of the hard time crooks and super villains are here! Why would Launchpad team up with someone, who doesn't need his help in the first place, to fight crime in a place where crime is minimal!"

"He applied to work for the police here, but he couldn't pass any of the tests. Same with government positions."

"Poor LP..." Darkwing shook his head. "He was the nicest guy in St. Canard... He didn't deserve this."

After a few moments of thoughtful silence, he walked toward Jacob.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Some Things Don't Change

Light filled Darkwing's vision, obscuring everything around him. He covered his face automatically. When the brightness faded, he found himself inside a different building far from the carnage he had just witnessed. Darkwing stopped and pleaded with Jacob. "Send me home! I don't want to see any more!"

"I can't right now."

"Well of course you can! All you have to do is wave your hands around and presto!"

"You don't get it, Drake. I am not in control of what happens. All I did was grant you a wish."

"A wish?! What kind of idiotic psychopath would wish to see his friend murdered!?" "That was merely a result of your choice. Many others you have yet to see were affected as well."

"'Others'? Like I should care about 'others'! What part of 'my friend was murdered' didn't you understand?!"

"That was the result of you choosing not to become Darkwing Duck. Granted, these were extreme cases, but you've clearly seen how, even as a child, you were affecting the wellbeing of St. Canard..."

"Okay, okay, I get it." Darkwing crossed his arms. "My life directly affects my family. Tell me something I don't already know. No! Make that, send me home so that I can get back to 'protecting' my family!"

"Darkwing...there is more to being a hero than protecting just the ones you love..."

"I know! But—" Before Darkwing could finish his retort, they both heard a door open and a light flipped on. They blinked in the sudden brightness.

Darkwing then made out the shapes around him. "Hold the phone! This is the Koo Koo Kola factory! I had a case here—" He broke off as they heard footsteps coming toward them.

Bud Flood paused beside a vat and started pouring a bottle of toxic waste into the water.

"Well...at least there's one guy who got the better end of the deal. I was the reason he became the Liquidator." Darkwing said dryly.

Bud finished pouring the poison and turned to leave, but he dropped the empty bottle and slipped, falling into the vat on his own. Darkwing covered his ear slits. He didn't care to hear that transformation all over again.

A few minutes later, the Liquidator emerged. He was understandably disoriented and it took him a few minutes to gain his equilibrium. He looked at his hands and feet. "What the! What happened?! Is this some sort of dream?!"

The newly transformed Bud Flood experimentally punched the side of a nearby vat of regular water and flinched as water suddenly spewed from the hole his fist had created. The jet of water formed an arch over him and flowed to the floor, puddling at his feet.

Liquidator gazed up at the arch in confusion. "How in the world did that happen?" He reached up to touch the arch and started when the water flowed into his finger. "Hmm. This may prove profitable in some way... Let's see what these babies can do!" he wiggled his fingers and the water danced at his command. He laughed and commanded a flood to wash him through the factory doors to the streets outside.

Darkwing stared after him. "I don't believe it! He's still the same Liquidator!"

"Yes. There was nothing you could do to prevent it." Jacob answered.

"So does that mean Bushroot...?" Darkwing started.

Jacob took them to the greenhouse. Darkwing saw Bushroot kidnap Dr. Rhoda Dendron. With no one to stop him, Rhoda became a mutant herself.

At first, it looked like Bushroot finally had the friend of his dreams as Rhoda fainted into his arms at the sight of her transformation. But then Rhoda woke up and started clawing at Bushroot, trying to get away from him. A thorny rosebush sprouted from the ground and grabbed Bushroot. Bushroot called the plant off, but Rhoda's fear was confusing the plants.

All the plants in the greenhouse swarmed around the pair until finally a tree picked up Rhoda and started carrying her away. Bushroot ordered another tree to carry him and follow her. Both trees rampaged through the city, causing tons of wrecks and property damage.

The police tried fending off the plants but ended up getting plucked up and tossed aside. A SWAT team was assembled to set the trees on fire. This set half the block on fire. Then Rhoda and Bushroot started working together to fend off their attackers.

Darkwing turned to Jacob. "We can't just stand here and watch! They're going to destroy half the city at this rate! And where is S.H.U.S.H.? Shouldn't they be here lending a hand?"

Jacob, whose form had started changing again during the rampage, clapped his golden paws and Darkwing found himself in a desert, surrounded by ships half sunken into the sand.

"Ships?" he puzzled out loud, looking up at his now ursine companion.

The bear arched a furry brow at him. Darkwing stared back before it hit him. That was FOWL's fleet. The same one Steelbeak and his Eggmen had built so that they could storm the impenetrable fortress of Oilrabia. From the looks of things here, the ships hadn't been used in a while.

"What about the princess? And the oil?" Darkwing asked.

Jacob changed the setting so that they were now inside the aerial palace. Eggmen and Eggwomen were running the place and various villains relaxed on the silk cushions. The princess herself was chained to the floor like some exotic pet on display.

"So if FOWL succeeded here, does that mean...?" Darkwing asked hesitantly.

Jacob changed things around again so that they were inside Phineas Sharp's resort. Sharp was overseeing operations as usual, but the resort was ten times more plush and crowded. There were FOWL Eggmen here too, and Hammerhead was relaxing in a chaise with an Eggwoman fanning him with a palm branch. Jacob tapped Darkwing's shoulder and pointed to a long row of photographs on the wall. Each one of them had a red "X" painted over them. This included a photo of Derek Blunt and...

"J. Gander Hooter? Dead?!" Darkwing croaked disbelievingly. "And Dr. Sara Bellum! But why?"

"Because she refused to give up the operating code for a weapon of mass destruction..." Jacob said softly in a voice reminiscent of Gryzlikoff's.

Darkwing looked again at the photos and found his picture marked as well. Poor old Griz... Then Darkwing saw another photo next to last agent that had not been crossed out. "Donald Duck? The actor from those Von Drake documentaries? What is his picture doing here?"

Jacob didn't reply. He simply pointed to another picture. This one was a map of the world. Islands, states, even whole countries were circled and labeled.

Darkwing read some of them and nearly choked. "Flintheart Glomgold owns Africa?! Shere Khan the second owns half of China and India?! Phineas Sharp owns the Salad Sea! And Steelbeak has a claim on Mexico?!"

"Bulba hasn't been in a generous mood for a while..." Jacob replied, his voice changing as his muzzle lengthened and his ears sharpened. "He runs the whole western hemisphere from St. Canard."

"This is outrageous! Complete lunacy! Why hasn't anyone stopped this from happening?!"

"Many tried, but just as many failed. After FOWL took over the oil reserves and Bulba appointed financial managers, every government agency lost resources, funding, and field agents. S.H.U.S.H.'s list was not the only list of names. Members of the police department, FBI, CIA, SWAT, and Coast Guard have all had death threats against their families."

"So you're saying that, because I stopped FOWL, Bulba, and Sharp, I essentially saved the world from becoming..." Darkwing gestured distastefully at the map."This?" He puffed up a little at his own self importance, and then raised an eyebrow as he thought of another place even more wretched than this world. "What about the Negaverse? And Negaduck?"

"Well, naturally the Negaverse as you know it does not exist in this realm," Jacob said as he causally scratched his whiskery chin. He had finished turning into a wolf and Darkwing jumped when he saw him. The wolf had long, milk-white fur and glowing red eyes. It was creepy!

Jacob perked his ears and blinked at him curiously. Then he flattened his ears and chided himself with a sheepish grin. "Oh. Sorry about that. I haven't found a form that suits me yet. I keep trying out different ones to see how they fit. As much as I like the ears and the..." he glanced back and waved his plumy tail before continuing. "I don't want to upset you any further. Here," He changed his eye color to amber and took on the shape of a rotund little owl. "Is this better?" the owl hooted in a strangely high-pitched voice.

"No! Will you quit doing that?! It's driving me batty!" Darkwing snapped.

Jacob got a thoughtful look on his face. "Hmm. I've never tried a bat before..."

"Don't," Darkwing warned flatly, rubbing his head wearily. "I don't want to be reminded of Morgana right now."

Silence...

Darkwing looked up and saw Jacob pursing his lips. He palmed his face. "Don't tell me..."

Jacob shrugged. "Hey. I didn't make the rules. But first, there's something else you're supposed to see..." He took Darkwing back to Canard Tower and paused. "See anything different?"

"Compared to MY world, or compared to the way it was ten minutes ago?" Darkwing asked testily.

Jacob sighed and pointed up. There was a flag on top of the building. Fresh, crisp, and brightly colored, it hadn't been up there long. Darkwing didn't recognize the insignia on it, but something else looked familiar. It was gold, depicting something furry. What was familiar about black masks and the long ears and...

The pieces clicked in Darkwing's mind. "The Cute Little Lost Bunnies rule the Negaverse!?"

"They may be short, but they're every bit as fearsome as Negaduck. Of course, having sharp teeth and bad tempers does help with the intimidation factor..."

"So this world still has a Negaverse and Nega...Bunnies?"

Jacob's blue eyes looked into Darkwing's and put his hands on the crime fighter's shoulders. "Darkwing: no matter where you go or who you're with, evil is always a factor. It will always find a way into even the most impenetrable fortress and the most steadfast of hearts. It never stops. It merely adapts."

"You're telling me that even if I didn't exist, St. Canard would still be overrun with the likes of Negaduck..."

"Precisely."

Darkwing thought things over for a moment. "Then everything would be different. Morgana would still be...?"

Jacob changed the scenery to a dark room, lit by a single overhead bulb. Morgana sat in the center of the room with her arms crossed in front of her, a stubborn expression on her face.

Steelbeak was with her, trying to coax her into doing magical services for FOWL. "Morgana, babe. Look at this from all the angles. We're not asking for much. Just a simple dimensional portal for our army to walk through. For that one teensy favor, you'll have..." He gestured to some Eggmen who brought in fake palm trees and a map of the islands in the Salad Sea, plus props. "An all expense paid vacation at the bee-you-tiful Salad Sea Spa and Resort. Comes with exclusive privileges such as private movie screenings, a personal chef and valet, open invitations to every FOWL Ball (costumes and dancing optional), and, best of all, your own private patch of beach for soaking up some sun..." he grinned wickedly.

"I HATE sunlight," Morgana growled under her breath, not even looking at the props.

"Did I say sunlight?" Steelbeak stepped back. He looked questioningly at his men before recovering from his brief slip-up. "I meant, uh...'moonlight'! Moonlit walks on the beach, star gazing, a bonfire, and whatnot... This is your chance to do what ya want, when ya want, without worrying about commoners calling the cops. And all this is just part of the bonus you get for signings up with us. The more you do for FOWL, the more we'll do for youse. Like...pay off those pesky student loans...?"

"H...how did you find out about that?!" Morgana asked nervously.

"Comes wit' da territory, dame. See, FOWL has been keepin' its collective eye on youse since you sic'ed those carnivorous mushrooms on that door-to-door salesman."

"I didn't release the mushrooms! It was an accident!" Morgana protested nervously before seeing Steelbeak's smirk. She patted her hair and put on a calm demeanor. "An unfortunate and rather messy turn of events, yes, but he had been warned to stay away..."

"Well, from the sounds of it, he won't be sales pitching anyone anymore."

"Oh don't be ridiculous." Morgana waved her hand dismissively. "The fat fool simply ran home with a few less bulges. If his wife hadn't already been arrested for being a public nuisance, she might have even been pleased with the slimming results. It was only a matter of time before some other...misfortune fell upon him."

"Oh yeah, sure..." Steelbeak chuckled. "Singing to flowers is SUCH a public nuisance..."

"Arrested for 'singing to flowers'?" Darkwing turned to Jacob. "Did I miss something?"

In answer, Jacob morphed into a golden retriever and disappeared for a second, returning with a rolled-up newspaper in his mouth.

"Uh...thanks." Darkwing grimaced as he took the paper with a disgusted expression on his face. Shaking off the dog drool and muttering about unnecessary theatrics, he looked over the headlines, promptly ignoring his "canine" companion. Jacob kept the floppy ears and face of the retriever while morphing into an anthropomorphic version.

Darkwing read a couple of lines before his eyes practically popped out of their sockets.

"'Binkie Muddlefoot'?!" He mumbled through most of the brief article. "'After repeated complaints from neighbors, police arrested the housewife and mother of two for singing to her flowers as late as ten pm and as early as five am. Although singing off-key is not a crime, Muddlefoot has been charged with disturbing the peace. Police are also looking into accusations of entering homes without owners' permission'..." Darkwing wadded the paper up. "This is ridiculous! (Although painfully accurate.) Since when has anyone paid attention to noise ordinances around here!"

"Those are not the only things that have changed..." Jacob commented.

Darkwing eyed him warily. "Are you saying that was Herb who was attacked by those ferocious fungi?"

"Quackerware is all he has." Jacob said softly. "Tank joined a gang and Honker ran away soon after his mother's arrest..."

"'Ran away'! But he's smarter than that; he's..." Darkwing's voice faded as he realized something. Gosalyn was Honker's first friend. Without her... "Hoo boy..." Jacob went on to explain.

"Without his mother to reassure him, Honker couldn't escape Tank's bullying, or the other kids at school. He is headed for Twin Beaks..."

"And let me guess..." Darkwing crossed his arms. "I can't do anything to help him."

Jacob nodded slowly.

Suddenly Morgana shouted, drawing Darkwing's attention back to her. "No! I will not work for FOWL! I don't care what your employers offer me, I will not help your army. Think of all the innocent lives that would be lost!"

"Yes!" Darkwing cheered for Morgana.

Steelbeak chuckled. "'Innocent.' Right. Get with the program, here, sister. Those 'innocent' people youse mentioned are all living for themselves. Just like you and me. The only difference is, we don't have to answer to the likes of Taurus Bulba..."

The Eggmen laughed. Morgana glowered at all of them.

"So...do we have a deal...?" Steelbeak asked with a suave smile.

Morgana considered it.

"Don't do it, Morg! Don't fall for it!" Darkwing pleaded.

Morgana stood, placing some distance between herself and the rooster. "No. I've done some shady deeds and worked with less than innocent people, but I'll never work for FOWL!"

"'Never' is a looong time to go without backup..." Steelbeak warned. "Trust me... You don't want to go up against Bulba on yer own."

"I'll take my chances..." Morgana replied icily, heading to the door.

Two bulky Eggmen blocked her. She glared at them. "Move out of the way." They grinned, daring her to make them. "Have it your way, then." She wiggled her fingers and the men were swept off their feet. They conked helmets and slumped dizzily to the floor.

Morgana unlocked the door and pulled it open magically. Suddenly the sound of a gun being cocked distracted her. She turned around to find Steelbeak aiming a derringer at her.

"I'd reconsider if I were youse, Lady. High Command doesn't take 'no' for an answer..." he warned.

Morgana's face darkened. "You have no idea who you're dealing with...!"

"Oh yeah...? Well considering who I's work for, I tink I'll take my chances wit you!" He fired. Morgana conjured a force field to stop the bullet. Steelbeak grinned. "See? Dat's exactly why FOWL needs ya! Now stop playing around and let's get down to business, shall we?"

Morgana growled and zapped a spell at him. Steelbeak ducked. The spell hit the table, turning it into a yak. The yak lowed in bewilderment. Steelbeak eyed it warily before shoving it aside and yelling for his men to grab Morgana.

"Just try it!" she snapped, zapping their guns and charring their uniforms.

Reinforcements arrived. Morgana tried zapping them all with a spell, but two of them held up a large mirror and she narrowly missed hitting herself. Furious, Morgana conjured a storm and floated in the air, sending lightning bolts to scatter the Eggmen. Some of them raised rubber-coated shields and fired laser cannons at her. A beam grazed her shoulder. She gasped and clutched the wound before turning her fiery gaze on the unlucky soldier. He realized he was in trouble just before he was turned into a slug.

Familiar with her tactics now, the soldiers armed themselves with protective gear and weapons. A battle ensued.

Darkwing turned away as men were turned into disgusting blobs of slime, toads, bouncing balls, or something resembling monster food. Worse was when Morgana turned a weapon into a monster and it started chasing the men.

Finally, a blackened Steelbeak rose from the carnage, challenging Morgana to do her worst. She clapped her hands together and the whole facility was reduced to ash by a mighty lightning bolt. The wind from her storm carried her away, leaving the men in various states of consciousness and confusion with charred uniforms.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Failure. ((A new chapter! :D ))

"That is precisely the reason why I don't want to make her mad..." Darkwing commented as he ogled Morgana's handiwork. "So what's next? Civil war? More tyranny? A new superhero rushes in to save the day?"

Jacob shook his head gravely. "I'm afraid this city has lost most of its hope. Without hope to nurture spirit and build courage, the only thing left is self preservation."

"'Spirit'..." Darkwing repeated softly. He gasped. "Oh no! Where's Gosalyn?!"

"Drake..." Jacob put a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"No! I have to know! I have to be there for her!" Darkwing exclaimed, shrugging away and looking around wildly.

Jacob sighed sadly, his expression resembling a Basset hound's. "Alright, Drake. I'll show you what happened..."

Darkwing froze. "'What...happened'? Are you saying that...?"

Jacob had already disappeared. Darkwing found himself back outside of the electronics store. He started to protest to Jacob when he noticed something move out of the corner of his eye. He gasped. Gosalyn was standing just inside the door, staring at Launchpad. She backed away, shaking her head slowly.

"Gos, Sweetie, it's alright..." Darkwing tried to console her but she turned and ran in the direction Gizmoduck had been sent flying. She crawled through the rubble, calling out for the hero.

"Gizmoduck?"

Darkwing and Gosalyn both spotted him at the same time. A support beam had fallen across the gizmo suit. The hero was still unconscious. Darkwing reached out to help and watched sadly as his hands passed through the beam. Darkwing sighed and looked at Gosalyn. Her face was streaked with dirt and tear tracks. She whimpered something and Darkwing strained to hear her. "Please, no... –sniff–"

Gizmoduck groaned.

"Oh good, you're awake." Gosalyn barely paused to look at him. "Quick! You've got to help me get this thing off before it crushes you!"

Gizmo tried but the hydraulics in the suit had taken the worst of the hit and Gizmo's own strength was not enough. "Sorry, Little Gizmo Buddy... I'm afraid that's the best I've got."

They both heard running footsteps and looked back toward the sidewalk. Megavolt ran past the building, with the police in pursuit on motorcycles and on foot.

Curious as to what had sent Megavolt scurrying, Darkwing went outside. He gasped. A fire was raging several buildings down the row. The fire department was trying to get the blaze under control. The flames seemed to be resistant to water and retardant and Darkwing finally realized why. The Thunder, er, Gizmoquack had been set ablaze and the jet fuel and surrounding electronics in the store were going up in smoke. Did Megavolt start the fire?

Darkwing never found out. He heard Gosalyn coughing and whirled around to check on her. She had gone back to trying to help Gizmoduck.

Darkwing realized the fire could spread to this building soon and nobody knew a little girl was in here, helping a trapped superhero. Darkwing yelled for help but remembered nobody could hear him. He anxiously watched as Gos put all of her might into shoving the beam. It didn't budge an inch.

"Come on, Gos! Get out of here!" Darkwing pleaded.

Gosalyn paused and looked right at him. His spirits rose with hope. Had she heard him? Could she see him, like she had before? (*refers to the episode "Dead Duck") He opened his arms for a hug as she ran toward him. Gosalyn went through him to the street and called for help.

The police and fire fighters heard her. Moments later, several fire fighters hefted the beam off of Gizmoduck. After he thanked them and refused medical help, they asked if he could catch the electric rodent responsible for the fire or at least put out the flames. Gizmoduck frowned. He pressed the button that was supposed to activate his water hose. Nothing happened. His propeller and rocket thrusters were not working either. He apologized and drove in the opposite direction with his head hanging low.

Gosalyn hurried after him, demanding to know why he wasn't doing anything. He was a hero—he was supposed to catch the bad guy and save lives!

Gizmoduck looked at her with the saddest expression Darkwing had ever seen on his rival's face. "I'm sorry, kid, but I'm nothing without this suit..."

"But...you saved me..." Gosalyn looked confused and on the verge of tears.

Gizmo shook his head, tears falling from under his visor. "The suit saved you...and right now the Gizmosuit doesn't even have enough power to get me back to Duckburg." He started sniffing and wiping at his bill. "I've lost my pilot... —Sniff— And a good friend... Oh, how will I ever explain this to Mr, McDuck!"

"I'm sorry about your friend..." Gosalyn put her hand on his arm, making Darkwing scowl jealously. "But you can't just give up! Everyone still needs you. I need you!"

Gizmo started to look hopeful, but then a media van rolled up alongside them and a camera and microphone were shoved in his face. The reporter peppered him with questions about the two plane crashes (he didn't even remember Bulba's airship), the fire, the new super-powered villain, and the rumor that he had lost in a fight against this new super villain.

Darkwing actually felt a bit of pity for the poor guy. Couldn't these people give him a break?! The man had just lost a friend! Darkwing swallowed around a sudden lump in his throat. Poor Launchpad...

He turned to leave and realized Gosalyn was no longer in sight. He hurried to find her and nearly ran through her. She was sitting on the sidewalk curb again, her hand on her chin, staring sadly at the pavement. Poor kid... Darkwing was pretty sure she was thinking about her grandfather now. He sat down beside her, wishing he could hug her or say something to cheer her up.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Unwanted

A police car drove up and rolled down the window. The officer in the passenger seat questioned Gos about where she lived. She tried to avoid giving him a direct answer but after he made her get in the car, Gosalyn reluctantly admitted that the orphanage was her home.

Darkwing followed her out of the car to the door and watched as it closed behind her, seeing misery in every line of her posture.

"Oh, Gos..." Darkwing whispered. As he stood there, the sun sank rapidly below the horizon. At first Darkwing was confused but then he remembered he was seeing all of this as an outsider. He didn't actually live in this world. He sighed.

Then one of the orphanage windows slid open. A moment later, a backpack landed in the grass with a small thump. Darkwing's pulse sped up as he saw Gosalyn follow her bag out the window. She picked it up, looked around, and headed down the street.

Darkwing followed her, watching with his heart in his throat as she avoided coming into contact with other people, including a few shady characters that he would have confronted if he could have. He soon lost sight of her and the scene around him became fuzzy.

"No, wait! Let me see her!" Darkwing protested, trying to outrun the obscuring mist.

Jacob didn't reply but he must have heard because Darkwing found himself next to Gosalyn a second later. She seemed a littler taller than he remembered, and a little thinner. She was looking up at something. Darkwing followed her gaze to the top of Canard Tower. When he looked back at her, Gosalyn was still staring at it, lost in thought. Finally, she straightened her bag and turned around, her steps heavier and markedly slower as she headed back to the orphanage.

Darkwing wondered what exactly it was that looked different about Gosalyn. She seemed tired and discouraged. Was she sneaking out every night? What was she looking for? He decided the only way to get some answers was to go inside and see what was in that backpack.

Gosalyn shared a room with several other children but none of them were aware of Darkwing's presence. He looked through Gosalyn's bag, finding a map drawn in crayon, a cut out newspaper article on Gizmoduck, and a bus flyer for Duckburg. Darkwing realized she was looking for Gizmoduck. She hadn't given up on the hero yet.

The scene changed and Darkwing saw Mrs. Cavanaugh telling Gosalyn there was a woman outside who was looking to a adopt. The woman wanted a girl Gosalyn's age who could keep up with her active lifestyle and get along with new people. Mrs. Cavanaugh gently warned Gosalyn that she might not find a match like this again and begged her to show at least a little spirit. Gosalyn sighed and reluctantly climbed out of bed to meet the prospective parent.

Darkwing watched as the hopeful would-be parent asked Gosalyn questions and gently urged her to play a game of toss. Gosalyn slowly came back to life, throwing the ball a little harder with each pass. Everything seemed to be going fine until the woman remarked that it must have been hard living with her grandpa because he was so much older than Gosalyn and set in his ways. Gosalyn got a hard look in her eye and threw the ball right into the woman's forehead, temporarily rendering her unconscious.

Darkwing was shocked, not by Gosalyn's actions, but by the woman's words. Didn't she know Gosalyn's grandfather had meant the world to her?

Gosalyn went back to her room and time faded around Darkwing, once again returning to night. He saw Gosalyn slip out again and he followed her to a bus station where she tried to buy a ticket to Duckburg. The ticket master started to call social services and Gosalyn took off, hiding behind a trash can until she saw an opportunity to hop on the back of a bus. Darkwing cried out in protest and ran after the bus. He managed to catch it at a stop where he saw Gosalyn help an old lady up the steps. She tried to act like the lady was her grandmother but the driver demanded a ticket from her. The old woman offered to pay the fare for Gosalyn but the driver had already figured out the kid didn't belong to anyone on board and he called the police.

Darkwing found himself back outside of the orphanage. Only this time, something was missing... Darkwing wondered out loud why he was back here when the front door opened.

Mrs. Cavanaugh held it as Gosalyn stepped out, carrying a backpack and dragging her feet.

"What's happening now?" Darkwing asked as he watched his little girl climb into a waiting car.

"Gosalyn is moving to a new home..." Jacob materialized next to him in the form of a mink.

"She was adopted? That's great news!" Darkwing grinned until he saw Jacob's sad expression. "Isn't it?"

"See for yourself..." Jacob gestured ahead.

The scene had changed to show a house full of older kids. Gosalyn was barely acknowledged as she took a seat at the long table. She was given a tray of unidentifiable mush for dinner and the adult walked away. Moments later, the kid across from Gos flicked a pea at her face. Gosalyn wiped it off and shot the boy a glare. He feigned innocence. With a spark in her eye, Gosalyn loaded a spoon with something that looked like mashed potatoes and flung it across the table. The boy ducked and the white mush splattered on the back of the matron's skirt. Some of the kids snickered. The matron immediately grounded Gosalyn.

"Boy, even I never grounded her that fast!" Darkwing commented as a frustrated Gosalyn pushed away from the table to go to her bed.

Darkwing didn't see what else transpired that day, but he did see Gosalyn back at the orphanage later, looking more glum than he'd ever seen her. He wanted to comfort her, but there was nothing he could do.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Hope Rises

Darkwing sighed after seeing Gosalyn's expression. "So that's it then? Gos never gets adopted so she gets kicked out on the streets?"

"Not exactly..." Jacob replied.

Once again time changed while they remained at the orphanage, but it was a smaller time span. Gosalyn was gloomily looking out her window. Darkwing looked at her and at Jacob expectantly. Suddenly something moved through him. Something cold, damp, and slimy. Eww...! It was a big translucent green blob of goo with eyes and a mouth.

Gosalyn immediately brightened at the sight of it and exclaimed "Keen gear!"

Darkwing just blinked, wondering why that...that thing was so familiar. Following close on the blob's trail was a squadron of Bulba's soldiers, armed to the teeth and wearing combat gear. The soldiers shouted and raised their weapons, threatening the blob with glue pellets and plaster of Paris. Before they could make do with their threats, the men were turned into lobsters. They scurried around under their helmets, bumping into each other.

Darkwing saw who the culprit was for the spell and tugged on his hat. No wonder he had recognized Globby. Morgana's Aunt Nasty was here too.

"Neato! A witch with real magic!" Gosalyn exclaimed as she dropped down onto the sidewalk.

"Why thank you, Dear. You should try my cooking!" Nasty smirked.

Both Globby and Nasty looked back behind them. More soldiers were coming after them. Nasty called a giant snake to carry her down the street.

Gosalyn gawked at the sight before stepping in front of Globby to demand an explanation."Alright, what's going on here? Why are you running and where is she going on that snake?"

"We're going to a protest!" Globby replied as he shrank down to a puddle and ducked into an alley. "The soldiers have been throwing monster-kind and normals in jail and making everyone pay taxes and fines. One of their leaders sent troops to our home in Transylvania! They burned down our houses and woods and drained our swamps and blew up our caves! If we don't get support from Normals like you, monster-kind will live on the run forever!"

"'Monster-kind'?" Gosalyn breathed excitedly.

Globby started to respond but one of the men spotted him. "Sorry. Time to go!" Globby dove into a drainage ditch.

Gosalyn grunted a protest but she ducked behind a trash can to wait for the soldiers to pass. As soon as the path was clear, she put on her roller skates and skated after them.

Darkwing ran to stop her but the scenery around was quickly blurring into a tunnel of light. "No, wait! I have to help Gosalyn! I have to find out what happens next!"

"You will..." Jacob's distant voice answered him right before the scene gave way to a very different scenario.

St. Canard had been transformed into a nightmare. Light posts had shattered light bulbs. Stores had broken and boarded-up windows and graffiti tags all over them. Litter was strewn in streets and sidewalks. Cars were missing doors, windshields, and, in one case, even an engine. The air was thick with pollution from factories and burning trash. Even the high rise buildings had bars on the windows and drawn curtains and blinds.

While Darkwing was looking, he saw a young child peeking out of a window, only to be pulled back by his mother.

"What happened to my beautiful St. Canard?" Darkwing asked in bewilderment. Instead of an answer, he heard a gunshot. His heart pounding, Darkwing ran in the direction the sound had come from and skidded to a stop, completely confounded.

Soldiers and a few criminals Darkwing recognized as shoplifters and pick pockets were surging through the street, but they weren't fighting each other... They were fighting people in suits and monsters of various shapes and sizes.

Darkwing saw a few of Morgana's monster relatives but there were many others he had never seen before. Who were those professionals in the suits? They looked like office workers, but they were carrying standard issue handguns and bullet proof shields.

A deer ran past him, dodging a soldier with a machine gun. Darkwing saw the insignia on her badge. It was the S.H.U.S.H. eagle and olive branch. He remembered the long line of X marked photos in Phineas Sharp's resort and felt a surge of remorse for the agents who had already lost their lives.

Someone else ran right through Darkwing, startling him out of his reverie. He was surprised to see it was an ordinary citizen, carrying a frying pan and chasing a hired lackey who clearly hadn't been trained to stand his ground. Darkwing saw other citizens wielding household items as weapons, trying to fend off their oppressors. He also saw a van with the Duckburg Intelligence Agency logo on it. What was the DIA doing in St. Canard? And what had brought on all of this chaos?

He moved around a line of soldiers and got a clear view of Town Hall. Right at the foot of it, with Morgana and Moloculo Macawber only a few feet away from him, was...Scrooge McDuck!?

"What is HE doing here?!" Darkwing exclaimed.

Movement nearby distracted him again and to his horror, he saw Gosalyn in the crowd, tying soldiers' shoelaces together and taunting them by skating out of their reach. She was seized by one soldier, but a well-aimed gut punch and a kick to a knee cap set her free in no time. She made her way to Scrooge and helped him wield off a would-be attacker by pulling off one of her skates and whacking the unfortunate canine in the nose with the wheels. He yelped and staggered back, running into another soldier behind him and sending them both sprawling.

Gosalyn backed up to Scrooge. "What are you doing here, Lassie?" He demanded while whacking another soldier with his cane. "Where are yer parents?!"

"I came to find Gizmoduck!" Gosalyn ducked as a soldier attempted to pistol whip her. She jumped up and poked him in the eyes, grabbing the gun from him.

Scrooge squawked in alarm and snatched the gun away from her, pointing the muzzle at another surge of opponents. These happened to be petty thieves who were more concerned about their own well being than their goal. They tripped over themselves to get away from the duck with the gun. Scrooge snorted and set the safety on the weapon, sticking it in his belt in case he needed it later. Nobody else challenged the elderly mallard or the spunky girl at his side.

Seeing that Gosalyn and Scrooge were safe for the moment, Darkwing glanced at Morgana. She looked exhausted and on the verge of fainting. So did Moloculo. He was still confused. Why were Morgana and Moloculo here? They didn't care about the affairs of normals.

Everywhere Darkwing looked, monsters and spell casters were working with city officials and ordinary citizens as if they had all planned it. What had happened to bring all of these different people together? Was this the culmination of years of oppression? He wasn't sure how much time had passed since Gosalyn was rescued from Bulba but it seemed to have been...

Gosalyn got Darkwing's attention again. "Where is Gizmoduck? I thought he'd be here with you!"

Scrooge leaned on his cane for a moment. "Lassie, times are changing. Gizma'duck quit working for me after losing a friend..."

Scrooge gulped and Darkwing stared at him. Were those tears in the old miser's eyes?

Taking a deep breath, Scrooge continued. "He returned what was left of the suit and went on vacation. 'Unpaid,' that is..." Since that didn't mean anything to her, Gosalyn just looked at him. Scrooge sighed. "Gyro is still working on the suit, but I donnae hold much hope for it. Without a man to operate it, the suit is worthless!"

A scream split the air as the back doors on the DIA van burst open and a figure flew out of it. "WA-AH-AH-AH-AH!"

Gyro peered out with a remote in his hand. "Hold on, Donald! I just need to make a few more adjustments!"

"Was that the Gizmosuit?" Gosalyn asked as she watched the object ricochet in the sky and bounce across rooftops like a ball.

"Do I really need to answer that?" Scrooge replied dourly. He headed toward the van.

Gosalyn and Darkwing followed him, dodging two more waves of opponents.

Gyro saw Scrooge coming and hurried over to explain. "I've repaired the suit and changed the code like you said, but it's still not taking to Donald, Mr. McDuck... The controls just don't respond to him the same way."

"I was afraid of that..." Scrooge sighed. "It was a long shot, but it was worth a try..."

Donald arced past them, still screaming as the Gizmosuit bowled into a group of soldiers standing around at the end of the street.

"Well at least some good came from it..." Gosalyn commented drily.

"Oh, hello there. I didn't see you," Gyro raised his hat in greeting. Before he could say more, a second wave of soldiers surged toward them, guns blazing. Gyro and Scrooge both jumped into the van. When Gosalyn didn't immediately follow, Scrooge stuck his cane out and pulled her in with it.

Darkwing jumped aside as the soldiers surrounded the van. Now what?! Gosalyn was trapped and Darkwing still couldn't do anything to help!

"Heads up!" GizmoDonald called out.

The soldiers looked back at him, only to get bowled over as the armored duck sprayed them with a fire hose. Donald chuckled and activated a boxing glove, knocking two more soldiers out of commission.

Then something happened. The soldiers suddenly scattered. Darkwing thought maybe Morgana or Moloculo had worked up a spell or something, but what he saw next chilled him to the core.

A black stretch limo pulled up and Taurus Bulba stepped out of it.

GizmoDonald pressed a button on his arm. "Don't move! I'm warning you...!"

"I don't have time for games, little 'hero.' But if you insist..." Grabbing Donald by the neck before he could prematurely fire his weapon, Bulba proceeded to crumple the suit (with the duck inside) using only his hands. He tossed the squashed duck into a trash can and moved to the van. "I know you are hiding in there. I have a deal to make with you, Old Timer. If you value your life, you will not refuse it."

Scrooge angrily yelled back. "I told ye before: I don't do business with cutthroats and Blackguards!"

"That is unfortunate. But I have no need for your money now, thanks to my sources..." Turning his back on the van, Bulba said to his men. "Fire when ready."

"NO!" Gosalyn yelled.

Bulba stopped the execution order with a raised hand. "Gosalyn. How nice to hear from you again... Have you reconsidered my request?"

"I don't..." Gosalyn stopped in mid sentence.

Darkwing hurried over to the van and poked his head in through the doors. He saw Gosalyn looking thoughtfully at Scrooge and Gyro. She frowned before calling out. "Okay, okay. I know the stupid code. Call off your dumb army and I'll come out."

"No, lassie! You dinnae know what you're doing!" Scrooge exclaimed, grabbing her arm protectively.

Gosalyn scowled for a moment before seeing the genuine concern on the old duck's face. "Thanks, Mister, but for once, I know exactly what I'm doing." Surprising the multiquadzillionaire with a hug around his neck, she backed away and peered out the door. "Okay. I'm coming out. Don't blast anyone."

"Of course, of course..." Bulba smirked. He looked up at something perched on a nearby building. Tantalus, the condor, saw his master's nod and nodded back before fanning his wings.

"Promise me you won't hurt them, first." Gosalyn stopped just shy of coming out of the van.

"I give you my word... Nothing will happen to your 'friends'."

"Gyro, do something!" Scrooge turned to the inventor. Darkwing pled the same thing even though neither bird heard him.

"I'm working on it, Mr. McDuck!" Gyro exclaimed. He activated something inside the van that pulled GizmoDonald out of the trash can and back into the van. "Hold onto your hats!" He pressed another couple of buttons.

The van lurched and transformed into a jet. Scrooge hooked Gosalyn with his cane and pulled her away inside while Little Helper closed the door. Gyro spoke into a communicator an instant before the jet rose up from the ground. Bulba's soldiers opened fire but nothing penetrated the van's sides.

"Keeeen gear! A super secret spy vehicle with bullet proof siding! Just like in the movies!"

"Actually, it's just one of my latest inventions." Gyro happily named off the vehicle's properties.

While Gyro rattled on, Scrooge pulled Gosalyn aside. "What in the world were you doing, Lass?! And what is this 'code' you were referring to?"

Gosalyn shrugged. "I dunno, but I had to say SOMETHING to get him away from you guys!"

Scrooge sighed. "You're a very brave girl, and I appreciate the gesture, but we dinnae need the help. We're protected by magic. One of my worst enemies settled her feud with another family of magic users and has been contributing to my research and defense lab."

[i]"His worst enemy was a witch?"[/i] Darkwing puzzled while Scrooge continued to explain.

"At the moment, we have three witches and a warlock protecting us."

"And Globby!" Globby exclaimed as he suddenly seeped in through the door crevices.

"Major league awesome! What are you, like mutated lime pudding or swamp scum?" Gosalyn curiously stuck a finger into the slimy gelatinous blob.

Globby giggled. "That tickles!"

Darkwing grimaced and looked out the side window to keep from getting ill. He saw that during the course of the conversation, the vehicle had moved well away from the city block and Bulba's soldiers. He sighed gratefully. Gosalyn was safe and in good hands. Very good hands. This Scrooge McDuck seemed to get along with her pretty well. Darkwing wondered if Scrooge would be up to adopting her.

With Launchpad gone and the Muddlefoots and S.H.U.S.H. out of the equation, that left Morgana as the only person he knew that Darkwing would trust with his little girl. And Morgana hasn't even officially met Gosalyn in this world...

Darkwing sighed and rubbed his head. He hoped, for Gosalyn's sake, that Scrooge and Gyro had a plan. With Bulba after the arming code again, Gosalyn's life was still in danger. And so was the rest of the city...


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Ghost Town

The vehicle landed a little while later and the vehicle's occupants stepped out. Darkwing exited the van first and saw, to his surprise, Morgana, Moloculo, and a short, black haired duck in a black dress.

Magica De Spell crossed her arms as soon as Scrooge stepped out. "We were lucky we had energy reserves. Have you succeeded in mission?"

Scrooge watched Donald out of the corner of his eye as his nephew handed the crumpled Gizmosuit back to Gyro. "Not exactly. The protest rally succeeded in getting the city up in arms, but our side mission was thwarted before we could break into the vault."

"Keen gear! Are you like super secret spies or international jewel thieves or something?" Gosalyn asked.

"Oh nothing as dramatic as all that, Lass," Scrooge replied with a smirk.

"Jewel thieves? Oh dear... Do we really look that evil?" Morgana asked Gosalyn.

"What? No! Of course not. I just thought that vaults were only used for money or valuables like that." Gosalyn replied.

Morgana smiled. "Oh, of course. How silly of me..."

"Vaults are used for more than just money and jewelry." Moloculo sighed.

Gyro explained. "This one contains Taurus Bulba's main computer frame. By targeting it, we could shut down his network of spies and criminal connections. It at least find proof that those connections exist..."

"Aye. If we can prove Bulba's behind some of these crimes, we can take him to court. If we don't put a stop to this militia..." Scrooge never got to finish for suddenly Tantalus swooped down and snatched Gosalyn up by her arms.

"No!" Darkwing screamed, tugging on his hat nervously.

"Come back here, you thieving vulture!" Scrooge yelled.

Morgana tried to use a spell to pull Gosalyn out of the condor's grip but her aim was off.

"Like this!" Magica snapped derisively, sending out her own spell. A pair of hands materialized in mid air and closed in around the condor. Tantalus shrieked and dodged.

Darkwing screamed and ran after the condor until Tantalus flew through an open door on a limousine. Darkwing was left in smoke as the door slammed shut and the limo pulled away, heading for Canard Tower.

Sobbing for breath and desperately hoping against hope that something would happen that would save Gosalyn, Darkwing made his way up to the top of the tower. In his place was the worst sight imaginable...

Just a few feet away from him stood Taurus Bulba with Gosalyn at his feet, cringing and scooting backwards on her hands and tail, trying to get away from him. A fresh bruise was swelling on her cheek. Darkwing gasped and hurried to her, trying to place himself between her and the furious bull, but Bulba stepped right through him. Darkwing's frantically flying hands passed through both the villain and the helpless girl.

"I will give you one last chance, leetle one..." Bulba growled as he snatched Gosalyn up by the neck. "What. Is. The code!?"

Gosalyn's eyes teared as she shook her head. She honestly didn't know.

Bulba roared and shook her. Darkwing pounced on Bulba and passed through him. Desperate, the masked mallard tried clawing the bull's fingers off the girl, but to no avail.

Darkwing bellowed in frustration. "Come on, JACOB! DO something!"

But Jacob did not respond.

Bulba shook Gosalyn until her head flopped sideways. Snorting in disgust, he carelessly tossed her off the building.

"NO!" Darkwing screamed, diving over the ledge after her. He desperately grabbed at her, but again his fingers had no purchase. He screeched at the top of his lungs.

This wasn't right! This wasn't what was supposed to happen!

As the pavement rushed up on him, Darkwing closed his eyes, expecting to feel a moment of excruciating pain.

Nothing happened.

He opened them to a very bleak St. Canard.

Most of the lightbulbs were burnt out or missing in the street lamps. The surrounding buildings had scorch marks, bullet holes, foundation cracks, chunks of mortar missing, and shriveled vines climbing up the sides. The only lights on were downtown in the upper floors of the towers. At street level, everything was dark, dingy, and deserted. The sky was overcast with heavy gray clouds. Snowflakes lazily drifted on the wind. An eerie silence clung to the deathly stillness. That reminded him...

He slowly turned around and his heart plummeted. Gosalyn was…

He covered her with his cape and hugged his knees. He couldn't even cry. He had nothing left in him to give...

If only he could have done something! Anything! He might have saved her! He might have saved Launchpad and the city, too. But what was the point? They were past saving now...

He tugged on his hat brim and roared. [i]"This is insane! This is worse than the Negaverse! Worse than that stupid coma-induced dream! Worse even than being sentenced to watch 'Pelican's Island' with demonic versions of my neighbors in my own personal version of hell! [/i]

"Is this what you wanted?!" He shook his fist at the sky. "To show me my worst nightmares playing out before me?!" He gestured to the purple shrouded mound beside him and screamed. "What do you want me to do?! Beg for mercy!?"

Caught up in his crazed rant, he threw his hat to the ground and jumped repeatedly on it. "I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! You hear me, Jacob?! Get me out of here! Get me out!"

Nothing happened. Even the wind had died down, leaving nothing but silence. Maddening, intimidating silence. The only movement was the falling snow.

Unable to stand the sheer loneliness anymore, Darkwing ran through the city, desperate to find some semblance of normalcy. He screamed for Jacob, for Gosalyn, for Launchpad, for anybody. Even Bulba's cold laugh would be more tolerable than all this absence of life. But even the villains were missing. There was not a soul in sight. He looked back. The only tracks he saw on the snowy sidewalk were his own.

Desperate for company, Darkwing barged into every pub, store, office, and residence he came across, hoping to find someone who could help him with his misery. But everyone was gone. He was alone...

His bloodshot eyes roved across the desolate landscape, settling on the familiar outline of his beloved Audubon Bay Bridge. He trudged toward it. Surely it could offer some bit of solace for the world-weary mallard.

He walked up the slippery cable to the tower and paused on the window sill. Why had he bothered to come here? This had once been enough but it had never been a home. It was just a refuge and a lair. His real home was with his family.

A tear slipped down his bill. He slumped on the frosted sill and panted, feeling the cold bite his lungs. He didn't care. He was ready to be done with this...this nightmare... The whole city was a ghost town and he couldn't even lift a finger to change it.

He rested his elbows on his knees and sniffed miserably. "What I wouldn't give to be back home, in MY St. Canard, with Gosalyn, and Launchpad..."

"That can be arranged..." a soft voice spoke up.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Renewed Purpose

Darkwing sat up, causing a small flurry of snow to fall off his hat brim and bill onto his lap. He shook his head and jumped to his feet, dusting off his suit. He turned his head and saw a familiar-looking duck in white.

Darkwing stood to meet Jacob's pale blue eyes. "What do you mean? I thought..."

Jacob's eyes crinkled in a smile. "You thought you were doomed to live in this world?"

"Well...not exactly, but something along those lines." Calming down now that he knew all of this would be over soon, Darkwing cast one last look at the dreary city, cringing as his gaze settled on Canard Tower. "All of this was just an elaborate nightmare... Right?"

"It goes a little deeper than that, my friend. It will continue as long as it is needed."

"But why? What do I need from all of..." he gestured to the cityscape. "This?!" His voice got slightly hysterical as he thought again of the terrible things he had witnessed.

"Drake..." Jacob wrapped an arm around the shivering duck's shoulders. "The point of this was not to torture you but to reveal what could have been. This is how your world would look without you."

Darkwing started to reply when he suddenly recalled what he had said prior to going to bed earlier. He had said everyone would be better off if he had never existed. He gulped. "I...I really made that much of a difference?"

Jacob pulled a mirror out of his robe and stretched it out, standing it upright so they could watch its surface. The two mallards' reflections changed to show them numerous cases Darkwing had been on and how they would have resulted without him.

Isis Vanderchill succeeded in coating St. Canard in gold, making it too hot for anyone to live in. Under Professor Moliarty's instruction, the moles collected the pieces for the satellite made from the St. Canard stadium and set it off, using its powerful gravitational pull to move the moon in front of the sun. The surface temperature was tolerable again, but as darkness fell across the city, moles, giant pill bugs, and slugs rose up from holes in the ground, invading the city.

As had happened before, the law enforcers were helpless to stop the giant creatures. Doctor Slug moved onto the scene. At first it seemed like he was there to drive the intruders away, but, after feeding some handouts to a few slugs and convincing them he was on their side, Dr. Slug enlisted the slugs and bugs as his own army. He turned the tables on the moles, forcing them to flee back to their underground home.

With St. Canard free of law enforcement and overrun by a destructive army, Bulba was forced to respond. Using his resources, he had a fleet of trucks drive in with loads of road salt, spreading it all over the city streets. The salt destroyed all the slugs, including Dr. Slug, while making life uncomfortable for the pill bugs. The bugs retreated and the city was free from aggressors. For now. There was still the matter of Isis Vanderchill's initial scheme.

The gold coating had already burned most of the area's plants and driven the few remaining honest citizens away. And although Moliarty's satellite was still keeping the moon in place, the sun had long since risen above the moon and was heating up the surface again.

Bulba exercised his pull in the city's government by having Splatter Phoenix freed from jail. She was given back her paintbrush on one condition. She was required to paint over the gold with her magic paint brush.

Splatter followed through with her orders, painting the city back to normal while Bulba's men destroyed Moliarty's satellite. After fulfilling her duty, Splatter thought she was free to go back to painting but she was arrested again before she could complete any of her wild creations. Once again her brush was confiscated.

Splatter was sent to an island downstream with other nonconformists and mutants. Quackerjack, Tuskernini, Camille Chameleon, Lilliput, Cement Head, the Rubber Chicken, Glue Girl, Banana Boy, and many others were trapped there for various reasons. Mainly because Bulba found them too annoying to tolerate their presence in, what he considered, [i]His [/i]city.

The prisoners banded together to escape. Dr. Fossil offered them shelter in his lab. Not knowing what the Pteranodon was up to, the escapees agreed and used their various talents to help clear the way. However, once they arrived, Dr. Fossil locked them in and transformed all of them into dinosaurs. Delighted with his success, Dr. Fossil attempted to turn everyone else on the planet into dinosaurs, but his lab was stormed by Bulba's security team. None of the saurians walked away.

Bianca Beakley covered the whole story but was fired for being too opinionated about Flintheart Glomgold, who owned the TV station. She turned into the Bug Master for revenge and succeeded in attacking Glomgold at home.

Seeing an opportunity, Bulba sent his new head lackey, the Liquidator, out to Duckburg to handle the Bugmaster. Liquidator destroyed the Bugmaster's weapons and threw her, and a sputtering Flintheart Glomgold, into jail.

Seeing his own unique opportunity for success, Liquidator stayed in Glomgold's mansion, seizing all of Glomgold's assets for himself. Since it was impossible to destroy water, Bulba agreed to leave Liquidator alone in his new financial capital. For now...

Neptunia arrived in St. Canard, determined to carry out her plan of drowning the city for littering and poisoning her ocean. She was stopped by Liquidator, who kept her conch shell for himself and presented the dead mutant to Bulba via the television station he now owned.

Irritated with the Liquidator's flaunting, Bulba started laying plans for getting rid of the watery villain.

Darkwing gawked at the whirlwind of information. "This is madness! I've stopped every single one of those villains!"

"Not in this world," Jacob reminded him. "Nobody stopped Bulba. With him in power, the other villains had to either work more aggressively or lay low to carry out their own agendas. Eventually, the whole Earth will be destroyed."

"How do you figure that?" Darkwing inquired. Most of his rogues were selfish enough and powerful enough to destroy the world, but he had a hard time imagining anyone who would actually be stupid and mad enough to do it!

Jacob showed him two more scenes.

The alien hats arrived to take over the planet. Without Honker there to figure out their weakness, they took over most of Bulba's army. Instead of tricking the aliens, Bulba simply fired at them, taking out most of his army with them. With nothing left to build his empire on, Bulba left St. Canard.

"But...I didn't defeat the hats, or any other weird alien life form, myself..." Darkwing admitted in bewilderment.

"No, but you saved Gosalyn. By giving her a home, you saved Honker Muddlefoot. By giving Honker acceptance and encouragement, you gave him the courage to stay home and face his brother and classmates. You stopped Bulba, Steelbeak, Moliarty, Lilliput, Isis Vanderchill, Phineas Sharp, and others on your own, and you have ensured that there will always be heroes to stand up against adversity. You have already changed your world for the better, Drake Mallard. And you are still shaping the future. Through Gosalyn..."

Darkwing thought this over, pondering everything he had seen. His eyes glistened as he went over all the lives he had touched. Gosalyn, Launchpad, Morgana, Honker, S.H.U.S.H., the princess of Oilrabia, the Muddlefoots, Gizmoduck, Neptunia... Even movie stars like Derek Blunt. All of them, one way or another, were indebted to him. And he to them, for helping him even when he didn't deserve it.

"I really am a hero..." he whispered in awe.

"And a father..." Jacob reminded him before he could start building on his ego. "You have taken on a great load of responsibility by being both a crime fighter and a parent. Both of these roles have shaped you into who you are, and both roles are equally important to the city's future."

"Yes! Because... no matter where evil lurks, Darkwing Duck will be on the job!" Darkwing struck a dramatic pose with his finger pointed to the sky.

"Darkwing..." Jacob warned, crossing his arms.

"What?" He turned to face him. Seeing his expression, Darkwing held up his arms. "What?!"

"Remember: being a parent is the greatest gift AND the greatest responsibility. It is your job to ensure that Gosalyn reaches her potential, and to be there for her when she needs help. Insuring the city's safety is one way of protecting her but..." he paused for emphasis. "Showing her how much you love her, and showing her how to love and accept others, is your greatest responsibility. As long as you remember to love, you will be fulfilling your purpose."

"My purpose..." Darkwing whispered. As he was caught up in his thoughts, the other mallard started to walk away. Darkwing shook himself and hurried after Jacob. "Hey! Where are you going?"

Jacob turned to face him, bearing a striking semblance to the other mallard with prominent cheeks, long broad bill, and big blue eyes. "It is time for us both to go our respective homes, Drake."

"Oh." Darkwing stopped. "Right. Until next time, then..."

"Actually, the next time you see me, you probably won't recognize me."

"Well, it might be easier if you stayed in one form or another and quit changing around..."

Jacob shook his head. "No, what I mean is, your mind is incapable of holding and processing this much information at once. When you return to your world, your memory of this encounter will be little more than fleeting images. All of this will be nothing more than a dream."

"What? But that hardly seems fair! After all I did to save the world...!" Darkwing was letting his ego talk again.

Jacob held up a hand to stave off further protest. "You will remember what I've shown you, just not the journey. Trust me, it is better to go back to your normal life without the knowledge that someone like me is hanging around. But, know this... No matter what, you will never be alone. You will always have someone on your side. And..." Jacob took out a small mirror, showing Gosalyn sleeping soundly in her bed. "Your greatest gift is her."

A soft smile spread across Darkwing's face at the sight of his little girl.

Jacob smiled approvingly and placed his hands on the caped mallard's shoulders. "Goodbye, Drake, and Godspeed." With that parting greeting, the world around Darkwing whirled into a kaleidoscope of color before everything went still and dark...


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Letter

Darkwing blinked, feeling like he had just awakened from a dream. He was standing beside his bed in Darkwing Tower. Swirls of snow was still lacing the windows. He shivered and pulled his cape around his arms. Had the tower always been this cold and dark? Seemed to him it should be a lot livelier... Oh. Now he understood. His family was at home. He had been expecting to find someone here when he woke up.

Gradually he remembered everything: his spell of bad luck, his feelings of uselessness and self pity, and the feeling of triumph and accomplishment for all his feats. Plus the warmth he got from his family and friends. He remembered a terrible dream where everyone he'd cared about died horribly or run into trouble because he wasn't there to help them. And, just prior to awakening, he had been reminded that he had made a difference in the world and that he still had a job to do. A crucial piece to the puzzle was Gosalyn. Somehow she made it all worth it.

Darkwing smiled again at the thought of her. He wanted to do something. Something to ensure that no matter what happened, Gosalyn would always be safe and cared for, and to reassure her. He thought about his will and life insurance policy that he had gotten through S.H.U.S.H. after passing the agency tests. It would protect his identity and his immediate family, but he wanted to do something else. Something that would say how much she meant to him and how proud he was of her. It was a challenge putting these inklings into words, though. Especially on the spot when all he could do when he saw her was give her a hug. But if he had his thoughts written down...

That's what he should do. Write Gos a letter.

He sat at his drafting table with his typewriter, all set to put everything down on paper...and that was it. He drummed his fingers, tapped his beak, tapped his foot, and finally caught himself humming tunelessly. He put an end to that promptly and focused on the task at hand. He stared at the blank page for a long time and almost fell asleep. He jerked awake and stared some more before sighing wearily.

Figures...the master of alliteration and colorful prose couldn't think of a single line to write for his daughter. So he took out a pencil to make an outline of what he wanted to put in the letter. He ended up writing a letter to Launchpad instead, summarizing the legal jargon from the will into something the pilot would understand. In essence, Launchpad was being left as the executive of the Drake's estate.

It was a big leap of faith, but he knew Launchpad would do whatever was necessary to take care of everything, even if it required asking someone else for help. Hopefully Launchpad would ask the right people for help, but just in case, Darkwing wrote a note for Director Hooter to address the problem. He already had a letter for the Muddlefoots, albeit with tons of scribbles. He had started it soon after the school ball that had nearly resulted in them discovering his identity. He had even started a letter for Morgana, although about the only thing he could write in it was stuff like how lovely her emerald eyes were in the moonlight... Which was quite true, but it wasn't exactly what he was trying to say.

Eventually he planned on typing the final drafts of his letters and enclosing them with copies of his will and all that, but for now, he just wanted to get his thoughts together. And right now, his thoughts were on Gosalyn. Gos meant more to him than anything or anyone and he felt like he needed to tell her that... Somehow...

That's it. He couldn't stand the isolation up here anymore. He stood up and determinedly stalked over to the chairs, taking the paper with him.

A minute later, Drake was home. He breathed in deeply and stood in the living room for a few moments, soaking everything in. He heard his housemates snoring up above and smiled. As atrocious as the noise was, it was far better than listening to the wind in the solitary confines of the tower.

He thought about Gosalyn and all that he wanted to tell her and hearing her, knowing that she was safe and comfortable, gave him an idea for the first line. He sat down with a pencil and started putting his thoughts on paper.

_"My dear, dear Gosalyn..."_

Two hours later he stood and went to his bedroom closet, pushing a small stack of letters up on the shelf. There. That should do it. He had poured his heart out and he was content with the way the letters had turned out. He still needed to type them and do some minor editing, but, should anything happen to him, everything he'd wanted to say to his family and dearest friends was there for them to read.

Drake smiled contentedly. He was exactly where he was meant to be in life and he had already made a huge impact on the world. And the biggest impact of all was being a father to Gosalyn. He slipped into Gosalyn's room to check on her one more time. Her snoring went uninterrupted. He tucked the blanket around her shoulder and gave her a light kiss on top of her head. Then he went back to his room and curled under the covers, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

><p>References<p>

Don Rosa's Donald Duck comic "The Duck Who Never Was"

"It's A Wonderful Life"

"A Christmas Carol" (my favorite version is the one with Mickey Mouse and Scrooge McDuck.)

"I Am Chosen," by Quiver. (A/N): Although I did not directly reference Quiver's story, I was surprised to see how many things mine had in common with it when I finished writing mine. I guess, even though I had forgotten Quiver's story, my mind remembered parts of it.

The movie "Balto 2: Wolf Quest" provided inspiration for a shape-changing spirit, as well as the scene where Jacob turns into a white wolf.

Episodes: "Darkly Dawns the Duck," "The Steerminator," "All's Fahrenheit in Love and War," "That Sinking Feeling," "Just Us Justice Ducks," "A Brush With Oblivion," "Battle of the Brainteasers," "When Aliens Collide," "To Calm a Chameleon," "Dead Duck," "Beauty and the Beet," "Paraducks" "Water Way to Go," "Clash Reunion," "Jurassic Jumble," "Fungus Among Us," "Dry Hard," "Life, the Negaverse, and Everything," "In Like Blunt," "Something Fishy," "The Merchant of Menace," "Fraudcast News," "Mutantcy on the Bouncy," "Slaves to Fashion," "Comic Book Capers"


End file.
